NEWS

Helping students re-think gendered careers

At Programmed we’re working towards toppling gender stereotypes, especially in the workplace. So, when Programmed Health Professionals CEO, Jen Boulding, was invited to Merri Creek Primary School to talk about jobs, naturally, a group of Programmed volunteers jumped at the chance to join her.

The idea for the day came about when Jen shared our “It’s Up to You” video with the principal and teachers, who thought it was a great way to challenge pre-conceived ideas the kids might have about what jobs are done by men and women.

Jen worked with grade 3 / 4 teacher, Trevor Allen, to develop a lesson plan to help the students see that girls and boys could aspire to all sorts of interesting careers and that their future study and work options are not limited by their gender.

The students were invited to draw their idea of what a Nurse, CEO, Scientist, Footy Player, Marketer and Technology Manager might look like, then a group of Programmed employees who perform some of these jobs joined the class to talk to the students and answer some questions, such as:

What subjects did you enjoy at primary school?

What did you think you were good at when at primary school?

Were there any subjects that you didn’t think that you were that good at that you became good at by sticking with them?

Who or what helped you to do the job you wanted to do?

Did you think of giving up on the job you wanted? What helped you to persist?

What do you enjoy about your work?

Are you doing the job that you wanted to do when you were 9 or 10?

Would you rather do the job you wanted to at age 9/10 or the job you do now?

Our team thoroughly enjoyed the day, and definitely got the kids thinking about all the sorts of jobs they can aspire to!